Master of Public Affairs and Politics (MPAP)

One year, full- or part-time, 30 credits

The Program in Public Policy offers the Master of Public Affairs and Politics (M.P.A.P.) degree to help students develop or refine analytic and quantitative skills and to form a more thorough understanding of the political institutions and processes through which public policies are implemented and formulated. The M.P.A.P. is normally a one-year degree for full-time students, but students may also pursue it in a part-time fashion. Prospective students with five or more years of work experience in politics or public policy are encouraged to apply for the M.P.A.P.

Students must complete 30 credits, including a required core of 12 credits in policy, research methods, economics, and analysis. There is no thesis requirement. Students cannot graduate with more than three courses (9 credits) with grades below a B.

The core curriculum for the M.P.A.P. program consists of the following courses:

Public Policy Formation 34:833:510 (3 credits; first semester)

Formulation and implementation of public policy, with emphasis on federal policymaking, models for policy choice, and intergovernmental policy problems. Analysis of the formulation and implementation of a governmental program.

Methods I: Research Design 34:833:530 (3 credits; first semester)

Scientific method of study; the processes of conceptualization and measurement; “experimental design,” or how social programs are structured so they may be effectively studied; and survey research and qualitative methods including focus groups, interviewing, and case studies.

Methods II: Data Analysis 34:833:630 (3 credits; second semester)

Mastery of statistical techniques employed to analyze public policy programs and problems, including univariate and bivariate analysis, simple and general linear regression modeling, use of intercept-dummy variables and interaction variables, linear probability model and the probit model of discrete choice, and simultaneous equation models.

Economics and Public Policy 34:833:543 (3 credits; second semester)

Basic microeconomic analysis with applications to current policy issues. Models of consumer and firm behavior applied to issues such as assistance programs for low-income individuals, tax incentives for firms and workers, and environmental regulation. Public goods, externalities, and the role of government in economic markets.

Elective courses (18 credits)

Electives include the legislative process, negotiation and conflict resolution, ethics, education policy, labor policy, the media, public policy advocacy, and social policy.

Students may choose among a wide array of courses offered by faculty and practitioners in the Public Policy Program, in other programs in the Bloustein School, elsewhere at Rutgers University, or even at other area universities through special arrangement.

The M.P.A.P. may be combined with the JD degree from the Rutgers Law School at Camden or at Newark.